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After gaining control of Freeman's Farm in the first Battle of Saratoga, British general John Burgoyne established defensive positions, hunkering down to wait for reinforcements to continue his march to Albany. Eighteen days later, Burgoyne attempted another attack. The forces of the American general Horatio Gates, bolstered by Benedict Arnold's infantry and a number of local militias, withstood the British onslaught, taking British strongholds and driving the British back to the city of Saratoga.

Surrounded by American forces, Burgoyne surrendered on October 17. This American victory impressed the French, who shortly afterward joined the war against the British.